My Berlin Bound Bag

In just a couple of weeks (yikes) the family and I are leaving for a month-long trip to Germany.  We'll be staying in a cute little apartment in an uber-hip section of Berlin (or so we've been told).  Although I'm excited for the trip, I'm not so excited for the plane ride -- it will be a very LONG ride with two small boys.  Thankfully, my two (mostly) grown up nieces are coming along so we'll get some help.

For the plane ride, I've got all sorts of activities and snacks to bring along.  This means, of course, that I need an extra big bag.  This is what I came up with:

This is a mash-up of some previous bags I've made, and I incorporated all the features of those other bags that I liked.  The main body is actually the pattern pieces of the lining from Amy Butler's Birdie Sling.  You can see my interpretation of the birdie sling here, here, and here.  I still use the mustard and pink one quite regularly, but the other two were destined for others.

The lining piece doesn't have those front pleats, which was exactly what I needed in order to incorporate a pocket on the outside.  The outside pocket was inspired by Keyka Lou's Cross Body Bag.  This is a great feature, very functional but cute.  Here's my version of the cross body bag -- it's just a little too small for my particular purpose.

Anyhow, I also changed up the strap from the birdie sling.  You can't tell from the picture, but the strap is fully adjustable and can be worn over one shoulder or cross-body style.  Even though I love my birdie sling, it always falls off my shoulder, and the strap is too short to wear comfortably across my chest (though I've tried).



I put a few magnetic clasps too, one for the outside pocket and two for the main compartment.  The other features that I've really come to like in bags is a zippered pocket -- the birdie sling only has two large patch pockets, which is nice, but I wanted something a little more secure. I did make one large patch pocket for small items. The other feature I've come to love are key fobs. I put one on the outside, and one on the inside, just for variety.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll all get there without too much drama.  It will be a trip of a lifetime, so well worth the effort to get there (I hope).


ADDENDUM (6/16): I just found out about the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts.  There are four categories: quilts, bags, clothing, and home decor.  Sounds like fun!

Christmas Prezzies

These wallets/phone cases were the only presents I managed to make this year, and I was only able to complete three out of five at that.  Thus, the older nieces will have to wait for theirs.  I don't think they'll be too sad. :)

The pattern is the Zippered Pocket Pouch by the talented Keyka Lou.  The main compartment is big enough to comfortably hold an I-phone, and there is a zippered pocket for everything else.  Love it!

Happy Holidays!

All three wallets lined up.

Zipper detail; fabric by Kokka.

Flap closure detail; fabric by Kokka.

Full pouch detail; fabric is red cotton ticking.

Zip Pocket Pouch - Love It!

I was really excited when Keyka Lou began posting the prototypes for this wallet.  The little zipper pocket was exactly what I was looking for, so when the pattern came up for purchase...

So here is my first attempt.  It all came together very well, but I had some trouble with zipper.  I scrapped the zipper foot I was using and just used my general sewing foot, which seemed to solve the problem.  I also made a mistake and forgot to insert the lining piece in the zipper pocket, so when you open it you see the wrong side of the focus fabric.  I can live with that for now, but will definitely pay more attention the next time around.

This wallet is petite, just 4.5 inches wide by 3.25 tall.  I couldn't quite slip my i-phone in the main pocket, but if I widened it by just a smidge...That said, the pattern includes three sizes: this smallest version; a tall, narrow one that will surely fit my phone; and a bigger version of this one that I just made.

Some notes on the fabrics, you need two pieces measuring approximately 12" x 12".  These pieces are from my scrap bin, so the only item I sprung for was the zipper.

A New Bag For The Autumn

I needed a break from quilt squares, so I decided to make myself a new bag for "back-to-school." This Echino cotton-linen print has been in my stash waiting for just such a purpose.

Pocket detail.

I used a pattern by Keyka Lou, which you can find here.  As with all Keyka Lou patterns I've tried, this one was well-drafted with excellent instructions.  The only deviation from the pattern is that I made a faux-adjustable strap, using only a D-ring.  I couldn't find a one-inch buckle that would feed the thickness of the strap through twice (as required with an adjustable buckle).  Oh, I also included a little clip for keys, but I didn't take a photo of that. 

I'm completely in love with this bird motif.

This bag is actually different than what I normally carry.  I went practical this time, so I chose something not too big that I could wear cross-body. My favorite part of the bag is the curved pocket, with another one inside.  It's perfect for slipping in a cell phone or keys.

You can kinda see the D-ring in this picture.

Woodland Delight Pocket Clutch

I made this a while back but haven't had time to blog about it until now.  The orange fabric is by Paula Prass as part of the Woodland Delight collection for Michael Miller Fabrics.  The polka dot lining is Moda Essential Dots.  The button is one I've had for a while.  I've blogged about the pattern before but just in case, here's the link.

The major achievement with this one is that I was able to get the repeating patterns to line up. It's hard to explain, but maybe the pictures will be self-explanatory -- especially this picture below. Subtle, but I thought it was an achievement nonetheless.

Pink Pocket Clutch

The exterior fabric for this pocket clutch is called "yui kokeshi" from the Alexander Henry collection. The interior red polka dot is from Robert Kaufman's primatex basics collection.

I debated for quite some time as to the front flap, whether to cut it as a separate piece so that the kokeshi dolls are right side up when the clutch is closed. The hubby said it looked better for all the dolls to be right side up (on the back view) when the clutch is opened. I'm still conflicted.

Curvy wristlet clutch and more wallets

I guess I should issue a spoiler alert. These purses are all intended to be Christmas presents, but I know that if I don't blog about them as I go along, I'll miss my opportunity. Also, it's unlikely the intended recipients will actually read this blog.

Anyhoo, this is the curvy clutch. The pattern is, as with the previous Keyka Lou patterns, very well drafted and easy to construct. I should note that I have been using a walking foot and a 100/18 needle, which probably makes sewing through the several layers of fabric that accumulate much easier to do.

This wristlet is about the same size as the fold-over clutch, measuring approximately 11 inches at its widest point, five inches tall, and 2.5 inches deep. It features a very secure wrist strap.

Fussy cut motif on both the front and back:

The fabric is from Amy Butler's Lotus line.

The matching wallet (basic wallet by Keyka Lou):

Again, I fussy cut the fabric to center and include as much of the repeating motif as possible:

The only difference between this wallet and the one I made to match the previous fold-over clutch is that I interfaced the front pocket instead of using a batting in order to eliminate some of the bulk. I think the double interfacing provided enough structure, so I will continue doing this in the future.

Here they are side by side:

Last but not least, the basic wallet for the hubby's i-phone. It might be hard to tell from the picture, but I used this absolutely lovely, crisp brown linen that I had bought a while back for a summer jacket. I figured I could spare the fat eighth it took to make this wallet. (The quality of these last two pictures is a little bit off -- I think my camera was metering the darkness of the brown linen, and I didn't know how to fix the automatic setting.)

The lining is a gingham by Michael Miller:


As a final thought (and in case anyone is interested), the background fabric I have been using for these pictures is from Summer Soiree collection by Paula Prass for Michael Miller.

Fold-over clutch

The design for the fold-over clutch is just so clever. This might be my favorite project to date:

The clutch measures about 11 inches wide at its widest point. Closed, as above, it is about six inches tall. Opened, as below, it is 11 inches tall (including the tab).

The fabric is Amy Butler's daisy chain, left over from a previous project. I reversed the outer and lining fabrics in comparison to the matching wallet that I blogged about yesterday.

I might attach a button here, just for a decorative element. But, I think it looks good just as is, too. Next time, I would also put the batting on the underside of tab to provide extra support for the magnetic clasp. The pattern had called for fusible interfacing on the lining side, and batting on top side.

Once again, I quilted the lining fabric with a low-loft cotton batting using a box diamond pattern. It's not completely necessary, but I wanted to add some stability and didn't want to take the chance that the batting would eventually migrate. The pattern recommends not using fusible interfacing, but I did use a woven interfacing on the main fabric. I'm thinking that I could have probably used a fusible batting too. Maybe next time.

The pocket is on the front side of the clutch, not the back as standard. The patternmaker, Keyka Lou, wrote that the pocket tended to gape when it was on the back side.